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Andy Burnham has warned against flirting with the idea of a British exit from the European Union and said the Labour party under his leadership would be "proudly pro-European."

Burham insisted that a British exit would put jobs and the economy at risk, and said it was time to "nail our colours firmly to the mast".

Speaking at a campaign event in Swansea, Mr Burnham said:

"To flirt with exit from the EU is to put people's jobs, communities and future prosperity at risk. This is no time to cut ourselves off from our largest market. It is time to nail our colours firmly to the mast.

"Any Labour Party I lead will be proudly pro-European and will instantly set about the task of securing our membership of the EU."

The warning comes after Mr Corbyn suggested that Labour could hold a special conference before deciding its response to any EU reform package proposed by David Cameron.

Labour leadership favourite Jeremy Corbyn would make the UK "less secure" as he has "absolutely the wrong approach" to foreign policy, Prime Minister David Cameron has told ITV News.

Speaking during a visit to an aircraft engineering company at Norwich Airport, Mr Cameron was asked for a response to Mr Corbyn's pledge to apologise for the Iraq War on behalf of the Labour Party if elected leader.

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Former foreign secretary Jack Straw has dismissed Jeremy Corbyn's pledge to apologise for the Iraq War on behalf of Labour if elected as the party's leader.

Mr Corbyn, the front runner in the leadership race who fiercely opposed the 2003 invasion, said the party must say sorry for the "deception" in a statement to The Guardian.

Mr Straw, who helped to lead the case for war and has always defended the controversial decision to invade, told ITV News: "There was no deception."

"I deeply regret the loss of life," Mr Straw added.

British-based group the Iraq Body Count has recorded 142,856 to 162,136 civilian deaths in Iraq from violence following the 2003 invasion as part of a total death toll of 219,000, though all figures are considered to be low-end estimates. Some 179 British personnel died in the conflict.

The Chilcot Inquiry, which was set up in July 2009 to look at the UK's role in the Iraq War, including the decision to invade and the preparation of troops, is still to publish its findings.

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